1st LD Writethru: Australian central bank lifts interest rates as inflation rises

SYDNEY, Feb. 3 (Xinhua) -- Australia's central bank on Tuesday raised its key interest rate for the first time in more than two years in response to a spike in inflation.

The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) said on Tuesday that its Monetary Policy Board unanimously decided at its first meeting of 2026 to raise the cash rate target from 3.60 percent to 3.85 percent.

It marks the first increase to the cash